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NBC's Dateline episode Secrets in Seattle originally aired on November 20, 2013. This episode of the reality legal show dealt with the murder of Nicole Pietz, a 32-year-old from Seattle, Washington.
Born on February 2, 1973, in King County, Washington, Nicole was raised by a single mother Gael Ann Schneider. Nicole, an endometritis patient was prescribed heavy medications in her early teens which later turned into an addiction.
On January 28, 2006, Nicole Pietz mysteriously disappeared without any trace, a shocking case that would unfold only seven years later. Many thought her disappearance was a result of her addiction. The case took a sudden turn when her body was discovered nine days later in a remote wood forest near Seattle airport. The summary of the episode reads,
"Fitness executive Nicole Pietz is married to the man of her drams, then she goes missing after failing to show up for dinner with her husband, Dave Pietz, and his friends"
What happened to Nicole Pietz? Who killed the Seattle fitness executive? The case and proofs pointed towards her husband, David Pietz. Here are the five harrowing details that unfold the mystery behind Nicole Pietz's murder.
Nicole Pietz's Mysterious Disappearance: Dateline: Secrets in Seattle
On January 28, 2006, at 10:20 p.m., David Pietz reported his wife missing via a police call. He confirmed that he last saw Nicole when he returned home from work. As Nicole planned to join him and their friends Jason and Ellen for dinner in their apartment, her husband David claimed that her absence worried him.
David made sure to paint her disappearance in such a way that focused on her past addiction and sporadic behavior. However Nicole by then had been sober for eight long years. She sought help and joined a rehabilitation center to help her regain control of her life. The sudden 'supposed' relapse to addiction was quite unusual. David also attempted to downplay Nicole's disappearance which raised suspicion.
What is the evidence found from Nicole Pietz's body as shown in Dateline: Secrets in Seattle?
After nine days, thorough investigation led to the discovery of Nicole Pietz's strangled lifeless body in a remote wooded forest near the Seattle airport. The striking evidence that finally led to the main culprit was her mouthguard. Nicole used a retainer to combat her teeth-grinding habits. This pointed out that Nicole was trying to protect herself from getting attacked.
Another piece of evidence that raised suspicion on David was that Nicole and David had not worn their wedding bands for months, suggesting a troubled relationship.
Nicole married David Pietz at a beach wedding in Maui on April 20, 2002, after dating for two years. They first met when Nicole was working as a receptionist and David as a salesman.
What did the crime scene and forensic evidence reveal about Nicole Pietz's murder?
As portrayed in the Dateline episode, Secrets in Seattle, Nicole's body was found in a woody forest area just outside Seatle in Burien, almost nine days after her disappearance.
The crime scene showed no struggle for escape and her feet also seemed quite clean which stated that she had not walked to the location. The blunt force marks on her face and a strangulated broken neck suggested she had been brutally assaulted before dumping her body. Her body was dumped in such a manner that showed the culprit was trying to clear any signs of physical evidence. Apart from that, the location of the actual crime and where Nicole's lifeless body was found, was different.
Why was David Pietz's behavior so suspicious?
David Pietz's behavior was quite suspicious right from the time Nicole was found dead. Firstly he misled the investigators and family thinking Nicole had relapsed. He revealed to the police that she might have used the painkillers and even claimed a missing bottle of the medicines. However, inconsistencies in his police statements and missing wedding bands suggested that not everything was well between the couple. His emotional detachment from the case further raised suspicion.
David Pietz was convicted of killing his wife Nicole Pietz: Dateline: Secrets in Seattle
The case which went cold for four years eventually was solved with the evidence that pointed towards David Pietz. The investigators pieced together details of David's lies concerning their relationship and disappearance.
David's court process began in 2012 when he was arrested for murdering his wife Nicole Pietz six years ago in 2006. After a thorough investigation, on October 14, 2013, Pietz was finally convicted of the second-degree murder of his wife Nicole Pietz. During the trial, he confessed that he spiked Nicole's drink with Ecstacy in a nightclub which in this case is reported as domestic violence and a second-degree rape. Judge Michael Hayden of King County Superior Court sentenced David Pietz to 18 years in prison.
For seven and a half years, Nicole's mother Gael Schneider waited for justice for her daughter Nicole Pietz. Nicole's stepfather Rod Schneider nudged the detectives every month for six years so that they would not close the case without solving it.
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